What We Do

• The school nurse must coordinate all health and nursing supports.
• The nurse can assist in coordinating communication between the school and the home and help ensure that evaluations conducted are comprehensive and address all areas of the student’s suspected disability.
• When student health is of primary concern, the Intervention Assistance Team (IAT) chairperson, and the school nurse:
  • participate in the IAT process and referral committee meeting,
  • address the student’s school health information and needs, and
  • complete the Referral for Disability Evaluation Form.
• When the IAT report is complete, the nurse will consult with special education personnel . Nurse Consultant Policy Statement

Evaluation Criteria/Process

• The evaluation of a student’s health care needs involves a multidisciplinary process. For a student with a verified disability or who is in the process of a special education multidisciplinary team evaluation, the request for a special health care evaluation may be part of the written parent notice for special education evaluation.
• After completing the IAT process, the school nurse will:
  • Schedule a meeting with the parent for completion of pertinent background information.
  • Obtain written parent permission to complete a special health care evaluation.
  • Obtain written release of information consent from the parent.
  • Contact the student’s primary physician to discuss the student’s special health care needs.
  • Obtain a copy of the physician’s order and parent authorization for potential special health care services to be performed at school.
  • Complete a written summary of the student’s specialized health care needs. For a potential student with a disability, this summary should become part of the multidisciplinary evaluation team report.
• A key component of this multidisciplinary evaluation for a student with a health related condition is a health assessment that may be conducted by the school nurse/nurse consultant.
• Based on this assessment, the school nurse identifies those health issues that are relevant to the student’s educational progress.
• If the assessment reveals that the student’s medical needs exceed the capacity of the campus nurse to perform safely, the nurse should contact Health and Medical Service for further assistance.
• If a student with health related disabilities is determined eligible for special education and related services, an individualized health care plan (IHCP) with specific behavioral objectives, interventions, and evaluation criteria should be initiated by the school nurse as part of the student’s IEP.
• Health assessment refers to the collection and analysis of information or data about the student's state of health, patterns of functioning, and need and management for health services in the school setting.
• The health assessment is conducted by the nurse or nurse consultant and consists of data collection, data analysis, and nursing diagnosis.
• The extent of information gathered by the nurse will be determined by the student’s health care needs.
• The assessment of resources and needs should be based on information gained from the medical records, school records, and concerns of the parents, student, and school personnel.
• The assessment process must consider needs for training, equipment, and accessibility with each setting the student will be in during the school day as well as during transitions between these settings.
• A statement of the special education and related services, the supplementary aids and services, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided for the student are to be included in the IEP. If a student with special health care needs has been referred to special education or has already been identified according to state regulations as a student in need of special education, the recommendation is that the school nurse or nurse consultant be part of the multidisciplinary evaluation team and provide a written report for the multidisciplinary evaluation team report

• Itinerant nurse – requested through a referral process to conduct specified invasive procedures when the campus nurse is absent or on leave.
• PSI nurse – requested through the (ARD/IEP) Committee to support the medically fragile student with complex medical needs while at school.
• Contract nurse – acquired through an independent health care agency. The contract nurse may also be required to support the student’s medical needs from home to school and school to home, as required by the ARD/IEP Committee
• School nurse – provides school health services and care coordination in collaboration with all team members.

• Supplemental special education nurse services are provided for students with disabilities who require invasive procedures.
• These targeted services are used to supplement existing nursing services at identified campuses but may not supplant these services.
• The ARD/IEP Committee determines the need for related services such as nurse services.
• The necessity for supplemental nursing services is evaluated and assigned annually by Health and Medical Service in collaboration with the campus administrator, and the Office of Special Education Services.
• Itinerant nurses are provided by Health and Medical Servicse in collaboration with the Office of Special Education Services, to ensure a full range of care is available to students.
• Nurses may have to travel from campus-to-campus to support students with disabilities who require invasive procedures when their site-based nurse is absent from duty on a temporary or long-term basis.
• Nurses assigned by the Office of Special Education Services/Health and Medical Services do not replace the campus nurse. They provide a full range of care to students with disabilities requiring multiple or extensive invasive procedures.
• The nurse functions as a school based nurse for students with disabilities until those services are no longer needed and terminated through the ARD/IEP process.

• Related Services Checklist for Transfer Students (In and Out)
• School Vision Screen Report

• HISD Policy on Private Service Providers Employed by Parents